The Cool Crowd
by Roswalyn
Summary: Casey finally learns what it means to be 'cool'. Who better to teach her than Derek?


A/N: I've been lurking for a few months in this fandom, being enthralled by the variety and quality of stories here. Somewhere along the way, I got inspired to try writing a story of my own. It's been sitting on my hard drive for a while now, because I hadn't gotten the courage to post it. And, well, I just thought it was finally time. I'm a huge fan of the Dasey pairing, as are many people here, it seems. This one-shot is centered around the relationship that Derek and Casey share, and the friendship between them that exists, as much as they may try to deny it. I hope you enjoy it, and I'd really appreciate any feedback or comments that you all have. I've never written these characters before, so I could especially use feedback on my characterizations. Thank you!!

Disclaimer: I couldn't even begin to imagine owning Life with Derek. Oh, the possibilities…

The crisp, cold wind whipped Casey's long brown hair into her face, the strands stinging her cheeks. But she didn't bother to lift her hands to brush them away. Instead, she just tightened her arms around her legs and lowered her head to her bent knees, pressing her forehead hard against the bone, physically trying to drive the painful and embarrassing memories from her head.

_"Isn't that the grade-grubber?"_

_"I heard she goes by Klutzilla."_

_"What's a hot guy like Max doing with a dork like her?"_

Even with vicious little comments like that being whispered by some of the party-goers, Casey had still been managing to have a good time. After all, what did it matter what they thought? Max had picked her, hadn't he? He thought she was good enough for him, so who cared what the rest of his friends and the "cool crowd" thought? Even when Max had suggested attending his ex-girlfriend Amy's party, Casey had shrugged aside her doubts and readily agreed, because she would be the girl at Max's side, and that was all that mattered. And she _had_ been at Max's side, dancing, laughing, chatting with some of his friends. The only time he had really left her alone was to go get them some drinks, promising that he'd be right back. Except that "right back" had somehow stretched into twenty minutes, making Casey truly worried. With her overactive imagination, she had imagined him slipping in the kitchen and cracking his skull open, or some drunk party-goer pushing him off the balcony, or… Well, rather than let her imagination get away from her, she had decided to go investigate. Frantic, she had randomly started shoving open doors in Amy's house, not caring what she might encounter in her desperation to find Max.

She should have been more careful.

Because there, behind lucky Door #4, had been Max and Amy, making out. In the pantry. In full view of everyone in the kitchen, and the open living room beyond. Casey had been stunned into silence, along with every single person witnessing the sight.

And then, the cheering had started. People had laughed, jeered, and pointed at Casey, applauding for Max and Amy. Max had had the scant decency to at least appear embarrassed, but Casey hadn't stuck around for an apology. She had shoved through the crowd, the snarky comments that had been whispered behind her back all night now being shouted at her by people that she had at least tried to consider as friends. And now here she was, sitting on the curb around the corner from Amy's house, freezing cold, and too numb even for tears. She buried her face deeper into her knees, trying to curl into herself.

A heavy warmth settled over her shoulders, and she felt someone lower to the curb next to her, arm brushing against hers.

"Go away, Max," she mumbled against her knee, refusing to look at him.

"Please. As if that jerk has the guts to come out here and face the music," her step-brother told her disparagingly.

Casey's head jerked up in shock. Sure enough, it was Derek, not Max, sitting next to her. And it was his beloved leather jacket draped around her shoulders, keeping the biting wind at bay. The kindness of that gesture alone had her speechless, staring at Derek wide-eyed. He returned her look evenly.

"Why'd you leave the party, Case?"

She gave him a disbelieving look. "Are you kidding me? How could I possibly stay after…after that!"

Derek scowled at her. "So you're just going to let Max make a fool of you in front of everyone? You're just going to let all those people say those things about you?"

Casey laughed bitterly, looking down at the pavement, her hair falling forward to curtain her face. "What does it matter to you? You say all of those things too."

"But I don't mean them," he told her quietly. "And I sure as hell would never hurt you the way Max did," he said, his voice lowering to a growl.

Casey turned to look at him, his surprisingly kind words breaking the dam that had been holding her tears back. Derek felt his stomach twist painfully at the sight, but he forced himself to stay seated and not run away from tears the way he normally did. He didn't want to be here, sitting next to Casey. He'd rather be back inside, pounding into Max. At least then he'd be doing something productive. But he had seen her run out of the party, had heard everyone jeering and shouting after her. And in that moment, he had somehow reached an epiphany. He had thought that was what he had wanted, for Casey to finally realize how "un-cool" she was, to realize that she didn't fit in with his crowd. But now that the moment had arrived, all he had felt was a sick disgust for the people around him. So he had disentangled himself from the drunk blonde draped over him, dumped his beer over the head of the guy next to him who was cheering for Max and Amy, and had followed his step-sister out the door.

And now he wished he had just stayed inside and beaten Max up instead, because then at least he wouldn't have had to deal with a crying Casey. There was a reason he didn't do tears. Not just because they made him uncomfortable, but because he never knew _what_ the hell to do about them. So he resorted to the only thing he was comfortable with -- sarcasm.

"Is this the Casey McDonald who got on my ass when she thought I was cheating on Kendra? The one who gave me grand speeches about how it was morally wrong to cheat? How is it fair that I had to put up with you bitching at me when I tried to cheat, but Max gets off easy?"

Casey stared at him in shock. She opened her mouth to retort, then closed it. Then she just shook her head.

"You're not going to let me feel sorry for myself, are you?" she asked ruefully.

"Nope." Derek smirked at her. "Now get rid of those tears before I ditch you out here, McDonald. You know I don't do tears."

Casey let out a small laugh and dashed the backs of her hands against her cheeks. Derek's smirk faded, and he looked at her thoughtfully.

"Seriously, Casey, why did you leave the party like that? Why did you let those people say those things about you? You're not the type to run away -- you're the one who stands up for what she believes in, no matter what other people think." There was a grudging note of admiration in his voice, and Casey couldn't help but drop her eyes away from his again. She didn't want to answer his question, because she didn't like the answer herself. So she stared at the ground instead while she responded.

"I didn't argue with them because a part of me agrees with them." Casey ignored Derek's sound of protest and pushed on. "I was never good enough for Max. Every day I was with him, I wondered what he was doing with a girl like me. And you always told me yourself -- I was never one of the 'cool' people. Tonight just proved that."

Casey felt Derek grab her shoulders, pull her up until she was forced to look at him. The physical contact shocked her almost as much as the glare of determination in his eyes. It was the most serious look she had seen on his face, ever.

"Casey, those people in there are not 'cool'. Max is an asshole for cheating on you, and all of those losers in there are even worse for encouraging him. How can you let those people decide for you whether you're good enough or not?" He gave her a little shake. "You're supposed to be the smart one in the family, Case. Smart people know who they are and are cool with that -- they don't need the approval of others."

Casey stared at him, her blue eyes wide. "How can you say those things about your friends?"

Derek scoffed. "Please. Don't you know that's the first rule of being in the 'cool' crowd -- no one is anyone's friend. They're all just waiting for the opportunity to step on each other's backs to climb up the shaky social ladder of high school."

Casey's gaze softened. "That's really sad, Derek."

His hands dropped away from her shoulders. "It's just how it is," he said gruffly. "Besides, I've got Sammy, so don't start feeling sorry for me or anything."

Casey gently bumped his knee with hers. "You've got me too," she told him quietly.

Derek felt an odd burst of warmth at her words, but covered it up with a groan. "You're not going to go all chick-flick on me now, are you?"

Casey laughed, surprised that she was actually feeling much happier than she thought she possibly could after what had happened.

"Fine, I'll spare you…this time. But one of these days, Venturi, I promise you we're going to have that feel-good family moment you keep avoiding."

Derek smirked, glad yet somehow disappointed that they were back in the safe territory of their familiar banter. "You keep telling yourself that, McDonald." He bumped her shoulder with his. "So were you just going to sit out here all night, or did you actually have a plan?"

Casey wrinkled her nose at him, pulling the ends of his jacket tighter around her shoulders. "I was actually debating whether I wanted to call Mom for a ride and put yet another nail in my social coffin by having a parent pick me up from a party."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "No Emily?"

"No Emily," Casey confirmed. "She's out on a date with Sheldon, and since he's moving this weekend, I don't want to bother her."

Derek shook his head, rising to his feet. "Looks like I have to come to your rescue yet again," he said with an exaggerated sigh. He reached out a hand, and when she took it, he tugged her up. "C'mon Case, let's get you home."

He started towards his car, but Casey used his grip on her hand to pull him to a stop. He turned to give her a questioning look.

"I don't want to keep you from the party, Derek. Are you sure you don't want to go back?"

He gave her a pointed look. "Trust me, Case, I am _so_ done with that party."

She smiled and squeezed his hand in thanks. To her surprise, he squeezed back briefly before letting go. As she followed him to his car, she couldn't help but think that it hadn't been such a bad party after all.

The following Monday, Casey and Emily entered the crowded school cafeteria together, lunch trays in hand. Emily began walking towards the table where she had been sitting for the past few months, with the guys from D-Rock: Derek, Sam, and Ralph, now Sheldon-less. After a few steps, she stopped and turned around, surprised to see Casey following her.

"Uh, Case? Aren't you going to go sit with Max and the cool crowd today?"

There was no bitterness in the question, just curiosity. Emily had long since gotten over her jealousy of Casey dating Max and gaining an instant "in" with the popular kids. Since she had begun dating Sheldon, she had honestly stopped caring as much about where she fit into the whole social scene of high school. But she thought that Casey still cared very much, which is why she was surprised when Casey shook her head at her.

"I _am_ going to sit with the cool crowd today, Em." And she proceeded to follow her best friend to the D-Rock table, where she answered Derek's raised eyebrow with a small smile, which he surprisingly returned. As Casey settled into her seat and listened to her friends chattering around her, she realized that for the first time in months, she finally felt comfortable with herself, and with who she was.

It was the 'coolest' feeling ever.


End file.
